Clutch.



H. J. WELLS.

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1910.

Patented maygs, 1911.

Inventor Witnesses I I d I A Liorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARVEY J. WELLS, 0F PERU, INDIANA.

CLUTCH. I

providea clutch of this character having friction disks therein formed of a material which will not be affected by heat.

Another object is to provide a novel'arrangement of bearings whereby the parts may freely rotate while the clutch is inactive.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character having all adjustments at points where they can be readily effected without disturbing the main portions of the structure. 1

'Another object is to provide yielding means for holding the parts in a predetermined relation.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction andcombinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a view showing the clutch artly in section and partly in elevation. ig. 2 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of the clutch.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a cylindrical casing open at one end and having recesses 2 in the inner face of the closed end thereof and in which are seated nuts or' the like engaged by .screws or bolts 3, said nuts being indicated atj4. The bolts or screws 3 serve to fasten a. head 5 to the lowest end of the casing l, said'head being formed at one end of a drive shaft 6. Casing 1 may constitute the hub of a fly wheel 7 A screw cap 8 constitutes the closure of the open end of the casing 1 and may be locked against rotation upon the-casing, by means of keys 9 or the like extending through the flange portion of the capand Specification of Letters Patent. Application and July 16, 1910. Serial No. 572,300.

Patented May 23,1911.

into openings or slots 10 formed within the casing. The screw cap :8 has a central circular openin 11 therein and into which extends the drlven shaft 12, one end of said shaft being reduced annularly as shown at 13 and being provided with a ball bearing 14, whereby friction at this point is reduced to the minimum. A key seat 15 is formed within the shaft 12 and a feather 16' is mounted Within said seat and is engaged by a tapered wedging gland 17 which projects through the opening 11 and is provided at its large end with a slide collar 18 engaged by a ring 19 which may be shifted by a lever in any preferred manner.

A series of pins 20 extends from the cap 8, there being preferably four of these pins 'each of which is screwed or otherwise secured to the cap, all of these pins lying parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 12. A housing 21 extends around the shaft and between the ins and has outwardly directed ears 22 sli ably mounted on said pins, there being a circu ar openin 23 in the closed endof the housing and in which the gland 17 is mounted for rotation; Packing rings 24 are preferably interposed between the ring 19 and the walls of the groove in co lar 18 and a retaining ring24' is mounted on the gland 17 and within the housing and constitutes a seat for a series of balls 25 con stituting a bearing for the housing 21 as will be clearly apparent by referring to Fig. 1. A

Springs 26 are coiled about the pins 20, each spring hearing at one end agamstthe adjoinin ear 22 and at its other end against an ad usting nut 27 mounted on the pin 22.

The feather 16 extends loosely through a thin metal disk 28 of steel or the like and which has one or more notches in its periphery for the reception of locking screws 29 which are remova ly mounted within the casing. Arranged upon the two faces of the disk 28 are friction disks 30 and 31 respectively each of which is preferably formed of asbestos spun and woven in conjunction with a metallic filament, the disk thus produced being capable of resistingheat and thus permitting the 'clutch to be 0 erated without the use of a lubricant. other friction washer or disk 32 is arranged upon the inner end wall of the'casing land extends around the shaft 12 while a fourth friction disk"33 isllocated upon the inner face. of the screw caip 8 and also extendsv around shaft 12. T es e--disks32 and139 are formed of the lit same kinds of material as are the disks 30 and 3.1. A comparatively thick friction disk, preferably of-cast iron, and which has been indicated at 3:1, is interposed between the disks 31 and 32 and is engaged by the feather 16 so as to rotate with the shaft 12.

Opposed duplicate thrust collars 35 and 36 are re'volubly mounted within the casing 1 and are intcrposcdbetween the disks 30 and 33, these collarsheing loose on the shaft 12. Each collar has a dished contact face adapted to frictionally engage with one of the faces of an expansible friction. ring 37 such as disclosed in my application hereinheforereferred to cand'the sections of which are held normally contracted about the shaft by means of a spring metal split ring 88. The feather 16 extends through a notch 39 formed-in the expansible ring and the opening formed through the center of said ring is tapered as indicated by dotted lines at 30 in Fig. 1 so as to receive the tapered gland 17.

It will be seen that the springs 26 exert a constant pressure against the cars 22 so as to force the housing 21 continuously to ward the cap 8. This housing therefore presses against the antifriction balls 25. and

a pressure is therefore constantly exerted. againstthe gland 17 and the same is held yieldingly within the casing 1.. When said gland is shifted toward the closed end of the casing 1, the tapered portion thereof will act as an expanding wedge and will cxpand the friction ring 3? and cause it to spread the collars 35 and 36 in opposite directions, collar 35 being forced against the disk 33 wnile the collar 36 is forcedagainst the-disk 30 and thus causes said disk to bind against disk 31. and also causes frictional engagement between the disks 32, 3 31 and 28 and the inner wall of the casing 1. Vfith the various disks thus in contact, power will be transmitted from shaft 6 through the casing 1 and the various disks to the expanding ring 37 and thence to the shaft 12. By shifting the gland 17 in the opposite direction, the ring 37 will be contacted automatically by the spring 38 and the frictional engagement between the disks will thus beremoved and shaft 6 and casing 1 will therefore be free to revolve about the shaft 12 without causing the same to rotate.

Importance is attached to the fact that by using the particular form of friction disk described, the clutch can be used as a dry plate clutch or will operate equally as well in non-fluid oil. It will be seen' that the parts can be readily adjusted by means of thc'screw cap 8 and the other exposed parts and without the necessity of including the eeaooz' main portions of the clutch. Moreover theclutch can be shifted when the transmission gear is set either at low, intermediate or high speed and said clutch. will start thesliaft 12 smoothly and without causing undue strain onthe various parts of the structure actuated by the shaft,

Various changes can of course be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

YVhat is claimed is r-- v -1. The combination with a driving casing and a driven shaftvextending into the casing, of clutch members mounted within the casinggan expansiblc element for shifting said members into frictional engagement, a housing revolub le with the casing and movable axially relative thereto, means slidably mounted on the shaft for expanding for axial movement therewith, and springs adjacent the housing and normally bearing thcreagainst to hold said housing normally in a predetermined position.

. 2. The combination with a driving casing, and a driven shaft projecting into the easing, of clutch members mounted Within the casing, an expansible element for shifting said members into frictional engagement to transmit motion from the casing to the guide devices extending therefrom, a housing movably mounted on said devices, yielding means for holding the housing normally in a predetermined position, and a Wedging gland axially movable with the housing and feathered on said shaft, said gland projecting into the expanding element.

A device of the class described including a driving casing, an adjustable cap constituting the closure thereof, clutchelements within the casing, an expansible ring within the casing and shiftable to bind the clutch elements together to transmit motion from the casing to the shaft, a wedging gland feathered upon the shaft, guide pins extending from the cap, a housing slidably mounted on the pins, said gland being slidable with the housing, and springs on the pins and bearing against the housing to hold said housing and the glands normally in predetermined positions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto ailixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARVEY J. WELLS. l/l 'itnesses EDWARD A. MYERS, Nor'r N. ARDRIM.

ing said element and connected to said hous shaft, an adjustable cap upon the casing, 

